Digital Literacy - a definition | ICT skills | Digital literacy and citizens
Digital literacy has become an essential life skill which, if absent or underdeveloped, becomes a barrier to social integration and personal development.
A definition of digital literacy: Digital literacy involves the confident and critical use of Information Society Technology (IST) for work, leisure and communication. It is underpinned by basic skills in ICT: the use of computers to retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate and participate in collaborative networks via the Internet.
Digital thus contains more than one dimension; both knowledge and skills of the digital literate person is included in the concept. These different dimensions can be conceptualised in different manners. One way is to disassemble the concept into some of its critical components: Assess - Knowledge how and about to collect and retrieve information. Manage - Interpret and represent information. Evaluate - Judgements about the quality, relevance, usefulness, or efficiency of information. Create - Generate information through adapting, applying, designing, inventing, or authoring information .
Another way to separate the dimensions of the digital literacy concept also displays the concept as consisting of building blocks. Here three elements make up the concept: Instrumental skills – the ability to operate hardware and software. Informational skills – the ability to search for relevant information using digital hardware and software. Strategic skills - using the information for own purpose and position.
However the dimensions are described, in almost every circumstance “ordinary” basic literacy skills are a necessary precondition for digital literacy. Cognitive skills are the fundamental skills consisting of mathematical skills, reading skills, problem solving skills, spatial skills, and visual skills. Technical skills are skills revolving around hardware and software applications, networks and other elements of digital technology. Digital literacy constitutes the sum of fundamental skills and the technical skills.
See the Becta Guide to digital literacy
An Explanation:
1. What is Digital Literacy?
Digital Literacy - a definition | ICT skills | Digital literacy and citizensDigital literacy has become an essential life skill which, if absent or underdeveloped, becomes a barrier to social integration and personal development.
A definition of digital literacy:
Digital literacy involves the confident and critical use of Information Society Technology (IST) for work, leisure and communication. It is underpinned by basic skills in ICT: the use of computers to retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate and participate in collaborative networks via the Internet.
- Digital thus contains more than one dimension; both knowledge and skills of the digital literate person is included in the concept. These different dimensions can be conceptualised in different manners. One way is to disassemble the concept into some of its critical components: Assess - Knowledge how and about to collect and retrieve information. Manage - Interpret and represent information. Evaluate - Judgements about the quality, relevance, usefulness, or efficiency of information. Create - Generate information through adapting, applying, designing, inventing, or authoring information .
- Another way to separate the dimensions of the digital literacy concept also displays the concept as consisting of building blocks. Here three elements make up the concept: Instrumental skills – the ability to operate hardware and software. Informational skills – the ability to search for relevant information using digital hardware and software. Strategic skills - using the information for own purpose and position.
However the dimensions are described, in almost every circumstance “ordinary” basic literacy skills are a necessary precondition for digital literacy.Cognitive skills are the fundamental skills consisting of mathematical skills, reading skills, problem solving skills, spatial skills, and visual skills.
Technical skills are skills revolving around hardware and software applications, networks and other elements of digital technology.
Digital literacy constitutes the sum of fundamental skills and the technical skills.